Timeless: The Parasol Protectorate, the Fifth

Alexia Tarabotti, Lady Maccon, has settled into domestic bliss. Of course, being Alexia, such bliss involves integrating werewolves into London High society, living in a vampire's second best closet, and coping with a precocious toddler who is prone to turning supernatural willy-nilly. Even Ivy Tunstell's acting troupe's latest play, disastrous to say the least, cannot put a damper on Alexia's enjoyment of her new London lifestyle.

Soulless: An Alexia Tarabotti Novel

Victorian romance mixes seamlessly with elegant prose and biting wit—and werewolves—in Gail Carriger’s delightful debut novel. Soulless introduces Alexia Tarabotti, a parasol-wielding Londoner getting dangerously close to spinster status. But there are more important things than finding a husband. For Alexia was born without a soul, giving her the ability to render any vampire or werewolf completely powerless.

Prudence

When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama ("Rue" to her friends) is bequeathed an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female under similar circumstances would do: she christens it the Spotted Custard and floats off to India. Soon she stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves.

Imprudence

Rue and the crew of the Spotted Custard return from India with revelations that shake the foundations of England's scientific community. Queen Victoria is not amused, the vampires are tetchy, and something is wrong with the local werewolf pack. To top it all off, Rue's best friend, Primrose, keeps getting engaged to the most unacceptable military types. Rue has family problems as well. Her vampire father is angry, her werewolf father is crazy, and her obstreperous mother is both. Worst of all, Rue's beginning to suspect what they really are...is frightened.

Etiquette & Espionage: Finishing School, Book 1

Fourteen-year old Sophronia is the bane of her mother's existence. More interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper etiquette at tea - and god forbid anyone see her atrocious curtsy - Mrs. Temminnick is desperate her daughter become a proper lady. She enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But little do Sophronia or her mother know that this is a school where ingenious young girls learn to finish all right - but it's a different kind of finishing.

A Carriger Quartet

Four original, unabridged, full-cast productions of Gail Carriger's most beloved fantasy short stories: "The Curious Case of the Werewolf That Wasn't, the Mummy That Was, and the Cat in the Jar": A mummified cat, a secret agent, and an aristocrat entangle Alessandro Tarraboti (father of Alexia Tarraboti from the Parasol Protectorate series) in a rollicking, wry adventure into the supernatural secrets of ancient Egypt.

A Study in Silks

In a Victorian era ruled by a council of ruthless steam barons, mechanical power is the real monarch and sorcery the demon enemy of the Empire. Nevertheless, the most coveted weapon is magic that can run machines - something Evelina has secretly mastered. But rather than making her fortune, her special talents could mean death or an eternity as a guest of Her Majesty's secret laboratories. What's a polite young lady to do but mind her manners and pray she's never found out?

Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel

Evil is most assuredly afoot - and Britain’s fate rests in the hands of an alluring renegade... and a librarian. These are dark days indeed in Victoria’s England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences - the Crown’s clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling - will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest...

Crudrat

Welcome to Wheel: a perfect world without poverty, disease, or want. Tinkered and tuned in every way for maximum order by Rank and Spoke, every child knows her destiny - so long as she can take the neural implant. The defective, whose bodies reject the implants, do not exist. Ghosts. Cyphers. Haunting the edges of society, living on scraps, killed for sport. A lucky few, the Crudrats, scrape out a perilous living cleaning the toxic wastes from the great machines that power the station.

At 17, Claire Trevelyan, daughter of Viscount St. Ives, was expected to do nothing more than pour an elegant cup of tea, sew a fine seam, and catch a rich husband. Unfortunately, Claire's talents lie not in the ballroom, but in the chemistry lab, where things have a regrettable habit of blowing up. When her father gambles the estate on the combustion engine and loses, Claire finds herself down and out on the mean streets of London. But being a young woman of resources and intellect, she turns fortune on its head. It's not long before a new leader rises in the underworld, known only as the Lady of Devices...

Steam and Sorcery

Sir Merrick Hadrian hunts monsters, both human and supernatural. A Knight of the Order of the Round Table, his use of magick and the technologies of steam power have made him both respected and feared. But his considerable skills are useless in the face of his greatest challenge, guardianship of five unusual children. At a loss, Merrick enlists the aid of a governess....

The Ghost Rebellion: Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, Book 5

The chase is on! After rescuing Queen Victoria from the clutches of the Maestro, Agents Eliza D Braun and Wellington Books are in hot pursuit of Dr. Henry Jekyll. While he continues his experiments on the aristocracy of Europe, he leaves a trail of chaos and despair in his wake. However, when Eliza and Wellington run him to ground in India, they are forced to come face to face with ghosts from the past, and the realities of empire.

Curse on the Land: Soulwood, Book 2

Before Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she had no one to rely on, finding strength only in her arcane connection to the dark woods around her. But now she has friends in the newly formed PsyLED team to keep her grounded - even if being part of the agency responsible for policing paranormals comes with dangers of its own.

Magic Binds: Kate Daniels, Book 9

Mercenary Kate Daniels knows all too well that magic in post-Shift Atlanta is a dangerous business. But nothing she's faced could have prepared her for this.... Kate and the former Beast Lord Curran Lennart are finally making their relationship official. But there are some steep obstacles standing in the way of their walk to the altar.... Kate's father, Roland, has kidnapped the demigod Saiman and is slowly bleeding him dry in his never-ending bid for power.

The Janus Affair: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, Book 2

Certainly no strangers to peculiar occurrences, agents Wellington Books and Eliza Braun are nonetheless stunned to observe a fellow passenger aboard Britain's latest hypersteam train suddenly vanish in a dazzling bolt of lightning. They soon discover this is not the only such disappearance...with each case going inexplicably unexamined by the Crown. The fate of England is once again in the hands of an ingenious archivist paired with a beautiful, fearless lady of adventure.

Welcome to Nocturne Falls - the town that celebrates Halloween 365 days a year. Jayne Frost is a lot of things. Winter elf, Jack Frost's daughter, Santa Claus' niece, heir to the Winter Throne, and now...private investigator. Sort of. When she buys a sealed box at an estate sale and cat-related circumstances cause that box to be opened, life in Nocturne Falls starts to go haywire. Jayne has no choice but to figure out what she unleashed and how to recapture it.

A Lady of Integrity: The Magnificent Devices Series, Book 7

Will a daring rescue put a wedding and a future at risk? Lady Claire Trevelyan and renowned scientist Andrew Malvern are looking forward to domestic felicity in London when they are surprised by an unexpected visitor. A desperate and fugitive Alice Chalmers seeks their help - her ship has been seized in the Duchy of Venice and worse, her navigator Jake has been thrown into the dreaded underwater prison from which no one ever escapes. Even the innocent.

Where the Wild Things Bite

Delivering a rare book to a valued customer is definitely part of mild-mannered archivist Anna Whitfield's job description. You know what isn't? Protecting her precious cargo from midflight theft by the very pilot who is flying her to Half-Moon Hollow...while trying to appear as unappetizing as possible to the only other passenger, a vampire. Undead bookstore owner Jane Jameson could be waiting a very long time for her book. Possibly forever.

Once Broken Faith: October Daye, Book 10

Politics have never been October "Toby" Daye's strong suit. When she traveled to the Kingdom of Silences to prevent them from going to war with her home, the Kingdom of the Mists, she wasn't expecting to return with a cure for elf-shot and a whole new set of political headaches. Now the events she unwittingly set in motion could change the balance of modern Faerie forever, and she has been ordered to appear before a historic convocation of monarchs. Naturally, things have barely gotten underway when the first dead body shows up.

Crowned and Dangerous

Nothing is simple when you're 35th in line for the British crown, least of all marriage. But with love on their side and plans to elope, Lady Georgiana Rannoch and her beau, Darcy O'Mara, hope to bypass a few royal rules....

The Great St. Mary's Day Out: A Chronicles of St. Mary's Short Story

Everyone deserves to get away for a bit. Even the miscreants at St Mary's. Astonishingly, Dr. Bairstow has declared a holiday. Even more astonishingly - he's paying for it. Needless to say, there are strings attached. They have to record the 1601 performance of Hamlet, with Shakespeare himself in the role of the Ghost. It doesn't go well, of course.

The Purloined Poodle

Thanks to his relationship with the ancient Druid Atticus O'Sullivan, Oberon the Irish wolfhound knows trouble when he smells it - and furthermore, he knows he can handle it. When he discovers that a prizewinning poodle has been abducted in Eugene, Oregon, he learns that it's part of a rash of hound abductions all over the Pacific Northwest. Since the police aren't too worried about dogs they assume have run away, Oberon knows it's up to him to track down those hounds and reunite them with their humans. For justice! And gravy!

Kiss of Steel: London Steampunk, Book 1

Most people avoid the dreaded Whitechapel district. For Honoria Todd, it's the last safe haven. But at what price? Blade is known as the master of the rookeries - no one dares cross him. It's been said he faced down the Echelon's army single-handedly, that ever since being infected by the blood craving he's been quicker, stronger, almost immortal. When Honoria shows up at his door, his tenuous control comes close to snapping. She's so...innocent. He doesn't see her backbone of steel - or that she could be the very salvation he's been seeking.

Blood of the Earth: Soulwood, Book 1

When Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she was almost alone in the world, exiled by both choice and fear from the cult she was raised in, defending herself with the magic she drew from her deep connection to the forest that surrounds her. Now, Jane has referred Nell to PsyLED, a Homeland Security agency policing paranormals, and agent Rick LaFleur has shown up at Nell's doorstep.

Publisher's Summary

Lady Alexia Maccon, soulless, is at it again, only this time the trouble is not her fault. When a mad ghost threatens the queen, Alexia is on the case, following a trail that leads her deep into her husband's past. Top that off with a sister who has joined the suffragette movement (shocking!), Madame Lefoux's latest mechanical invention, and a plague of zombie porcupines and Alexia barely has time to remember she happens to be eight months pregnant.

Will Alexia manage to determine who is trying to kill Queen Victoria before it is too late? Is it the vampires again or is there a traitor lurking about in wolf's clothing? And what, exactly, has taken up residence in Lord Akeldama's second best closet?

This book is hilarious. Do not take it serious. It is Steampunk meets PG Wodehouse and Urban Fantasy crossed with Jane Austen. I love her and even my 60 year old mom who hates Vampires loves all the books start with Soulless and then continue to Changeless then Blameless and now Heartless. Emily Gray is one of the best narrators out there. The only downside to this novel is that I have to wait until March to find out what happens next.

The fun is BACK. I think it is the best book in this series. It was a very quick ride all the way through. The last chase scene in London and to Lord Maccon's castle was exciting and reminded me of Testujin 28go a Japanese classic animation.

I also loved the part where Lord Maccon tried help and shield poor Biffy to adjust to werewolf life. One of the funniest scene is when he tries to explain to Alexia why Prof.Lyall cannot be Biffy's lover, "he's too beta." Fortunately for me this made sense, but for Alexia it did not. I don't think she ever understood. LOL

I was also happy to see a lot of Lord Akeldama and enjoyed his overly dramatic words and acts. I was also impressed with Lord Akeldama's intricate and complex scheme from the beginning to the end. What political savvy! Well done.

Gail Carriger's writing style is clean, and seamless. The plot progresses in a series of cameo's, introducing you into Carriger's world. It feels as if an absurdist steampunk comic book has been buried in layers and LAYERS of etiquette, and this is the result, The concerns of propriety are convincing of the English upper class in this alternate history's time period. The book values the tragedy of scuffed boots, or the scandalousness of a smudge on a man's face, as it does a murderous rampaging multi-story anthropomorphic contrivance.

Fancy words are used, and you'd definitely come away from this novel inclined to exercise a greater portion of the English language. The idea of werewolves caring about their crevats, or the state of their parlors, or executing the fluff necessary to function in Carriger's high London society, I have trouble buying into it.

Emily Gray's voices can get high pitched. The tone's convincingly reflect the physiognomy of the character (annoying characters SOUND so f'ing annoying). It's often hard to tell who is speaking, her accents and tones rubber band around.

This book DESERVES a 5/5 on story at least, but I just couldn't take the slow crawl, the weak plot arch, extensive character descriptions/backdrops, long-winded hedging dialogue, and all the impersonal focus on etiquette. Perhaps, if there had been a break, where some 'middle-class' or 'lower-class' or for me 'normal' people had been involved, I would be biting at the bit to read on, in this series, but it's just not for me.

May be an excellent read for you, though, especially if you're into monarchy reads, steampunk, or high society mysteries. Carriger has written a pretty original alternate history world, in this series, and she never breaks from it.

I've already said in other reviews how entertaining and consistent this series is. I *love* it and will listen to these books over and over. Heartless had some impressive twists, an absolute blindside, and an adorable addition to the family. Time to download the last book!

I love this serious, Emily Grey is a fantastic narrator! The only thing i'm questioning in this book is the pronunciation of Lord Akeldama's name. It was pronounced (a-key-el-da-ma) for the first three books and now its being pronounced (akel-dama). I just thought it was strange that they would change it up for the fourth book. Odd, isn't it?

The parasol protectorate is back and formalized. In Heartless, Alexia spoils a regicide scheme and gestates while dodging vampire conspiracies. This installment of Gail Carriger???s brilliant series also illuminates Mr. Tarabotti???s past. All of the loved and favorite characters are back. Specifically, Professor Lyall, Biffy, and the infant inconvenience take center stage, but Felicity, Ivy, and Major Channing also divulge their own special brands of insight, and the Macon passion shines through the narrative. All in all, this is an excellent addition to the series and is a ???must listen???. I cannot wait for Timeless! Emily Grey is also back and competent as ever.

First off, you really need to read the first 3 books of the series before this one will make sense.

It's pretty clear that we are building up to a bigger climax in the final book. The humour is growing a little stale after 3 books (although there is a new element to joke about---Alexia's almost-completed pregnancy). Meanwhile, Alexia solves some problems and creates new ones. The Grand Mystery is unfolding and some of the questions that we thought were solved in previous books are raised again. (You REALLY have to have read the previous books for this to make sense.)

One big plus is that this book focuses a good deal of time on one of the more interesting secondary characters: Lord Akeldama (who was almost entirely absent from Book the Third). I like the fact that we don't have His Lordship's full biography, but we get some interesting hints about the vampire he is...and the man he once was. And, just generally, he is an amusing player to watch---clearly, the author had lots of fun writing his dialog and I had fun listening to it.

The series finishes with a fifth book and, if you've gotten this far, you probably want to finish the series (I did, and yes, it really does end after five books).

I'm still of mixed opinions about Emily Gray's reading. She gets many of the characterizations nailed down well (Lord Akeldama being excellently delivered), but I think she does a so-so (at best) job with the Scottish and French accents, when required. This book required less of that than the previous two, but it was still a distraction when Lord Maccon was being read.

This is the first book of the series I’ve listened to in audio format. A risky proposition for book four when you already have a feel for how the characters should sound. But Emily Gray is a truly marvelous narrator and brought the parasol protectorate world alive. Heartless is as witty and surprising as I’ve come to expect from this author and delivers some surprising twists to set up the last book in the series.

In this latest installment of Carriger’s steampunk series, Alexia and Conall are reunited and preparing for their new addition. But it’s not all hearts and flowers for those two- someone is trying to kill Queen Victoria after all, and Alexia is on the case. Along the way, Alexia makes some personal discoveries and uncovers secrets about her close associates. I’m glad I waited to read this book until I had the last book in the series on hand because this book made me eager to keep reading.

I like the mystery of this series, the charm, and the setting, but the characters are I think my favorite part. They are so exaggerated and make the books so much fun to read. And even in book four we find out some unexpected tidbits about familiar characters. Ivy and Lord Akeldama are in fine form in Heartless as usual, and Biffy also becomes a more central character. I was pleased to find out the origin of the “Parasol Protectorate” in this one and I liked the way the amusing way the secret unfolded.

Emily Gray reads the audiobook and deftly handles all of the different characters and accents. Listening to the books is really a treat and made me wish I’d listened to the whole series. Gray has a great grasp on the characters and captures all the right nuances. The voices are distinct and consistent and she reads with a brisk, even pace. Lord Akeldama and Ivy sound just how I’d imagined, and I also enjoyed her no-nonsense Alexia as well as all the other characters.

I don’t read a lot of urban fantasy or steampunk but for some reason I can’t resist this fun series.

One of the things I love about the Parasol Protectorate series is how Gail Carriger parodies different types of Victorian literature with each volume. Heartless is the Sherlock-Holmes-style mystery of the group and boy is it a good mystery! I certainly didn’t figure any of it out.

Due to certain circumstances that occur throughout the third book, which I will not spoil for those who have not yet read/listened to it (though what are you waiting for?!), Alexia takes up residence in a town house next door to Lord Akeldama (delightfully foppish rove vampire), or so it will appear to the everyone. She’s actually residing in Lord Akeldama’s second best closet. However, not long after moving in they are alerted to a plot to kill the Queen and thus, as muhjah, Alexia embarks on a hunt to solve the mystery.

As I said, the mystery is a good one, particularly as it reveals some very interesting facts about Alexia’s father and about an assassination attempt that fans may remember being previously mentioned. It’s also lovely to be back in London again with both the werewolves and vampires of the town. Whilst I loved Changeless and Blameless, I did miss the Westminster Hive and the interactions between Conall (when he’s sober) and his pack. Speaking of pack interactions, we really get a closer look at the relationships of the Woolsey pack, which is something I really enjoyed, especially with how Conall is trying to handle the unexpected new member they gained at the end of Blameless.

The story’s climax is brilliant. It is full of drama with so many things happening that you just can’t put it down because you want to know how it is all resolved. There were some things I found a little sad (don’t worry; it’s not what you might think!) but at the same time I am desperate to see how the new situation that arises from it will play out in the final instalment.

As for Emily Grey's narration, her voice is the perfect for this story. She does a wonderful Alexia.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Johnstrekk

9/2/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"brilliant"

great fun extremely entertaining and enthralling. can't wait to read Timeless now that will fill my weekend nicely.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Joanne

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

2/6/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"love love love"

flew through this series. Emily Gray is fantastic and her performance really reinforced the era and characters of this engaging book. Bustles, etiquette and humour. Loved it.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Lucinda Allenby

12/2/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Listen to others of the series first!"

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

yes, provided they are already familiar with the characters involved

Who was your favorite character and why?

I'm torn between Connal and Lord Akildama...

Have you listened to any of Emily Gray’s other performances? How does this one compare?

yes; others in the series equily well read

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The last line made me laugh out loud!

Any additional comments?

An excellent series, but not easy to jump into the middle of.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

Birmingham, United Kingdom

7/3/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Really really enjoyed the story and the narration."

The narrator perfectly captured the characters and the intonation was great. Brilliant story in a great series.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Amazon Customer

3/23/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Better & Better & Better!"

What can I say but this is the fourth in the series & I cannot wait to start the fifth!Gail Carringer just joins up each book seamlessly with a style all of her own! As usual the narrative style of Emily Gray just brings each character too life & as you listen to her telling these tales you find yourself chuckling when your meant too , listening pensively at others & as always not wishing for the narrative too end.....

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Allan Hugman

3/6/15

Overall

Performance

Story

"Heartless? Alexis May be souless but not heartless"

What s delightful story. Listening again to this dynamic & expressive reader. Looking forward to the next book.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Paul

glos, United Kingdom

8/2/11

Overall

"Witty supernatural steampunk beautifully narrated"

I have the first 3 books in the series, and the audiobook is proving a great way to get the fourth. I haven't reached the end yet, but the narration is perfect. The series are based on a alternative history, where supernatural beings are an accepted part of Victorian Britain. Techological innovation has gone down an alternative route of clockwork creature, automatons, dirigibles and the female equivalent of James Bond's gadgets is a parasol with extras. A comedy of manners, combined with vampires, werewolves and mysteries. It's not like most other books! Definitely worth a listen.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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